Parti Québécois leadership vote begins

Voting has begun in the Parti Québécois leadership race to find a permanent successor to Pauline Marois.

Party members have until 5 p.m. ET on Friday to vote for either Pierre Karl Péladeau, Alexandre Cloutier or Martine Ouellet.

Péladeau, the controlling shareholder of Quebecor Inc., is considered the front-runner.

Cloutier and Ouellet served in cabinet until the PQ lost the provincial election in April 2014.

If nobody gets 50 per cent of the ballots on Friday, a second round of voting featuring the top two finishers will be held next week.

Three other candidates pulled out of the contest in recent months for either financial or competitive reasons.